Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Certain Songs #1050: Lydia Loveless – “Boy Crazy” | Medialoper

Album: Boy Crazy EP
Year: 2013

With records that straddle the line between alt-country and alt-rock — featuring her big soaring voice and big soaring guitars — Lydia Loveless has developed a pretty rabid fanbase over the past few years. One of the things that makes her so special is the emotional directness of her music, as typified by 2013’s “Boy Crazy.”

“Boy Crazy,” the title track to a 2013 EP which was just reissued a few weeks ago, starts off with Bill Lamb’s rumbling bass over Todd May’s squealing feedbacky guitar, joined at the hip by a jangly guitar, and has your attention before she even opens her mouth. But even more so afterwards . . .

Well, he lives out in Idaho
And his jeans come in just below his hip bone
And when he lifts up his arms, it makes me sweat
I’d give anything up for a night with that
I’d give everything up for a night with that

And so she does, leading us into a frenzied cheating song where she’s found herself in a situation that she knows is wrong, shady, and sad-making. And with bassist Lamb providing more hooks than a bait and tackle shop, she leans into a situation she knows is entirely of her own making.

And I don’t care if you’re forty-five
You look seventeen, but you’re twenty-nine
And I don’t want to hurt my baby
Well, I can’t help it when I’m boy crazy
I can’t help it if I’m boy crazy

Also leaning into it: lead guitarist Todd May, who is piling on Lou Reed-levels of squalor and feedback, as if through sheer noise he can distract her from herself. Not likely, though. And she’s chanting “I can’t help it if I’m boy crazy” over and over at the end of the song, you almost get the impression that she’s having so much fun that even if she could help it, she wouldn’t.

Fan-made video for “Boy Crazy”

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